Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Cardiac and non-cardiac deaths peak during Christmas and New Year’s in part because people delay seeking medical treatment

Cardiac and non-cardiac deaths peak during Christmas and New Year’s in part because people delay seeking medical treatment, researchers report in today’s Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

14 Dec 2004

GlaxoSmithKline acquires full marketing and development rights for BEXXAR worldwide

GlaxoSmithKline announced that it has reached an agreement with Corixa Corporation to acquire worldwide rights and responsibilities related to the manufacturing, development and commercialization of the BEXXAR® therapeutic regimen.

14 Dec 2004

New steps to measure error rates in Medicare payments

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced new steps to measure error rates in Medicare payments more accurately and comprehensively at the contractor level, and to further reduce improper payments through targeted error improvement initiatives.

14 Dec 2004

Safety of AIDS drug to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV questioned

In light of several recent drug industry scandals roiling the nation's public health and raising serious questions about the US bodies that license and regulate the industry -- and startling new revelations today concerning National Institutes of Health (NIH) officials and the safety of a brand name AIDS drug used to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the HIV

14 Dec 2004

More people live to be 100 in Switzerland than anywhere else in Europe

More people live to be 100 in Switzerland than anywhere else in Europe, and the country is one of the world leaders in the longevity stakes, reveals research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

13 Dec 2004

Silent risk of osteoporosis in men with prostate cancer

Men being treated for prostate cancer using hormone therapy maybe under-recognized for their risk of developing osteoporosis, according to a new study.

13 Dec 2004

PCT waste fears as patients shun new treatment centre

Patients prefer to wait nine months for orthopaedic operations rather than be treated within ten weeks by a new independent treatment centre, a referral centre has found.

13 Dec 2004

Chiron flu vaccine banned for a further three months

The Chiron Corporation, a vaccine manufacturer, were told today that the suspension of their licence for manufacturing influenza vaccine at the Speke factory in Liverpool, would continue for a further three months.

8 Dec 2004

Physically fit men visit their doctors less frequently

Physically fit men had fewer overnight hospital stays and visited their doctors less frequently, according to the results of a long-term study published this month in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official scientific journal of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

7 Dec 2004

Advanced wound care products to power expansion of European wound care market

The USD 1,111.1 million European wound care market is projected to gradually transition from traditional to advanced wound dressings. While traditional dressings currently dominate the total market, rising awareness of the clinical benefits provided by advanced wound dressings are set to widen their uptake.

7 Dec 2004

Review findings released on the safety of antidepressants (SSRI's)

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued new advice to patients and doctors about the group of antidepressants known as SSRI's, today.

6 Dec 2004

Implications of twin, triplet and quadruplet pregnancies on mothers

More women giving birth in their later years has given rise to fertility treatments which has in turn led to what can be described as an explosion in twin, triplets and quadruplet pregnancies.

4 Dec 2004

UK is well on the way to having the best healthcare system in the world

The UK is well on the way to having the best healthcare system in the world, surpassing that of the US, says leading health strategist, Dr Donald Berwick of the US Institute of Healthcare Improvement.

1 Dec 2004

Small social circles tied to heart disease death in women

Women with suspected coronary artery disease and smaller social networks die at twice the rate of those who have a larger circle of social contacts, according to a new study.

1 Dec 2004

Rimonabant could be safer for treating obesity than previous weight-loss drugs

ECRI, a nonprofit health services research agency, recently published a Health Technology Forecast profile on a novel pharmaceutical agent that is in development for the treatment of obesity.

30 Nov 2004

Biopharmaceuticals industry, a rapidly growing sector within the pharmaceuticals industry

Global manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals has increased significantly over the last decade due to a number of reasons. Biopharmaceuticals offer several advantages such as highly effective and potent action, fewer side effects and the potential to actually cure diseases rather than merely treat the symptoms.

30 Nov 2004

53,000 adults living with HIV/AIDS in the UK

There are now 53,000 adults living with HIV/AIDS in the UK, over a quarter of whom (14,300) remain unaware of their infection according to the Health Protection Agency's annual report on HIV.

29 Nov 2004

Manufacturers in the European active pharmaceutical ingredients market are struggling to overcome a variety of challenges

Manufacturers in the crowded and highly fragmented European active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) market are struggling to overcome a variety of challenges. One of the most pressing of these is the problem of overcapacity.

29 Nov 2004

British parents admit responsibility lies with them to tackle childhood obesity

More than 80% of parents say that they intend to be more accountable for their child's weight and four in five believe that measures set out in the Government's White Paper last week would go a long way to help them combat obesity in their children.

29 Nov 2004

Researchers recommend vaccinating adolescents against whooping cough

Experts are recommending that adolescents and some adults be vaccinated against whooping cough to help prevent infection and potential transmission to infants, according to the December 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

23 Nov 2004